


Tradition

by Sokorra



Series: The Christmas Prompts 2015 [2]
Category: The West Wing
Genre: Background Relationships, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-29
Updated: 2015-12-29
Packaged: 2018-05-10 05:40:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5573008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sokorra/pseuds/Sokorra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam and Ainsley share a moment one Christmas.</p><p>Or how Hershey doesn't count when it comes to Mistletoe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tradition

**Author's Note:**

  * For [foreveranna](https://archiveofourown.org/users/foreveranna/gifts).



Christmas time was perhaps Sam’s favorite time of year.  All the enthusiasm that went into decorating, the delectable desserts that people slaved over in the kitchens.  A sense of family and togetherness one that seemed a little lacking in other parts of the year. He even loved the snow that (usually) came with it.  This year was no exception.

They were having a Christmas party in the Mural Room.  Everyone was in various states of merriment and drunkenness.  Toby sipped from a scotch over in the corner, his face lacking his normal scowl.  CJ clearly was in the spirit as she sat on the sofa, a drink in one hand and the other adding to whatever she was saying that Danny watched as if she was explaining the meaning of life.   The President and First Lady were cuddled up together across from CJ and Danny, laughing at some joke Leo had said from his perch on a chair.

Josh and Donna were in another corner, a glass of the President’s homemade eggnog in each of their hands.  They apparently had reached the level of drunkness that allowed them to erase the hardly there line they usually kept on either side of.  Anyone who spend more than a little time with them was never fooled, but tonight no one, even if a stranger walked in, would be able to deny the two had something going on.  They wouldn’t admit it of course, and technically nothing was going on outside of friendship.  Right now Josh was leaning against the wall, watching Donna with a doopy grin while Donna was getting into telling him something, probably some random bit of Christmas trivia.  Donna was leaning into him.  If he hadn’t been here before, he might have suspected that they might kiss tonight.

“Are you hoping for a kiss?”  He turned around in confusion to see Ainsley standing behind him, her mouth turned up in an amused grin.  “You’ve been standing under the mistletoe for the last ten minutes.”  He looked up and had to laugh.  She was right, a sprig of mistletoe hung from the ceiling.  He could only guess it was the President or CJ’s idea.  They both found things like this amusing and weren’t above mingling with the lives of their loved ones.

“I didn’t know it was there.  I was just enjoying how everyone is happy for the moment.”

“I can’t blame you.  It’s probably the chocolate tarts, they are to die for,” she joked holding up her dessert plate, which was as expected full of different treats.   She held it out towards him and he took her offer of a treat, taking off one of the chocolate kiss peanut butter cookies he could tell were Donna’s homemade variety.  The girl couldn’t cook to save her life, but she could sure as hell bake.

“See, I got a kiss after all,” he joked before biting into the cookie.  He let himself drift for the moment in the thought of actually kissing Ainsley.  He could do it, and then claim it was tradition to avoid awkwardness.  However, he thought better of it.  They had been dancing around this thing that was between them for months now, and he didn’t want to start things off with a miscommunication.

He was surprised when, a few moments later, Ainsley moved forward, shifting her body up to kiss him softly on the lips before shifting back, a soft grin on her face.  “Tradition,” she said, but the look in her eye told him that wasn’t how she meant it, but for now he simply smiled in return as she walked off towards Ed & Larry.  It was just the opening volley, and News Years was just around the corner after all.


End file.
